Apple to open store in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol

Tech giant Apple said Monday that later this week it will open a new store in an iconic building on Madrid’s famous downtown square, Puerta del Sol, where it will make available all its models, the chance to try them out and lessons on using them, plus a “souvenir” T-shirt for the first 1,000 customers.

The company’s 11th store in Spain will open this Saturday, offering free training sessions and workshops, and a service that enables payment of purchases directly from the brand’s mobile phones.

The store will occupy the building at No. 1 Puerta del Sol, which has undergone an extensive renovation since the local government authorized a Special Plan for the purpose.

Built in the 19th century, the building has seven stories with a total area of 6,066 sq. meters (65,208 sq. feet) and stands on a plot measuring 948 sq. meters (10,190 sq. feet) on the east side of Puerta del Sol.

The remodeling of the building, with the required restoration and preservation of the original facade and its materials, has covered the ground-floor patio and left an open central space that will allow sunlight to reach the first floor and improve lighting on the second.